What is it that bothers western companies' managers when they approach 50? The feeling that there is no further growing.
The representatives of baby boom generation are so many that the struggle for the place closest to the Olympia is really tough. What is worse, experienced managers not only compete among themselves but also with the representatives of the next generation. At present companies gladly promote the ambitious employees under 30 who have already gained some experience. As a result, baby boomers unpleasantly feel that their potential is not used to the full. And that they are stuck on their present workplace they have nowhere to grow--- they come up with all these long before they retire. In other words they have developed so called career claustrophobia. Many companies do not promote any further people from 40 to 50 as the top management is quite happy with the positions they hold, says Dory Hollander the consultant on executive career development. Why give them a try on a new position if you can promote someone younger. As a result, people stem a feeling of redundancy. The companies that clearly realize the necessity to motivate all employees are very few. If such organizations cannot possibly promote the experienced employees they give them an opportunity to redirect their development and enhance their experience. "If people are void of the chance to develop and grow, they get bored at work", warns Hollander. For instance, the General Electric company thinks that managers of baby boom generation have at least one advantage over their younger colleagues , which is the larger freedom of mobility. As their children grew up, these employees are more mobile to go for business trips." Managers over 40 versus their younger colleagues are more mobile. They are less bound by the family", says Susan Peters, the vice president of the executive staff company. People in her department are pretty sure that these employees are the very ones to be sent to business trips. One of the managers who is over 50 now and who had worked his whole life in the US, was assigned to the representative office in Budapest. This option used to be unacceptable for him, whereas now that his children are grown-ups he accepted the offer with pleasure. Having worked in Budapest he moved to the representative office of the GE in China. "The opportunities for our company to develop in China are great", says Peters. "Yet the shaping of the company culture is a long and on-going process. Therefore we try to get hold of experienced people to work in this area. " experienced people are a resource in the integration of newly acquired companies into the corporation. In this case managers at GE who have many years behind carry and transfer the corporate culture on the one hand and demonstrate a great experience in working with people on the other.
Philips van Heusen, the New York- based clothes manufacturing company, recently acquired some companies, among them Calvin Klein. Mark Veber, the company general manager and the CEO is convinced that new acquisitions open the doors for immense career development for the experienced employees. "For example the manager who has been engaged in branding can try doing the design business", says the general manager. Personally Mr. Veber has changed 25 positions throughout 31 years of work. "Change of activities is very challenging and exciting", he thinks. "Now I must create new peaks for others to climb".
However, what is the manager over 50 supposed to do in the company which is trying hard to enough to offer versatile opportunities for employees like him? "Firstly, never complain of the bitter reality", says Barbara Barski-Carroy, the senior consultant at the Ministry of Education and Social Sciences. She just turned 60 and the idea of retirement doesn't even come to her mind. "You must meticulously consider what you would like to be doing", says Barbara. "If you pursue a specific goal and are a good team player, the management will meet you half way".
In this respect the General Electric is an exemplary case. The corporation annually polls its employees who communicate to their executives what successes they would like to achieve. Having discussed the issues with subordinates, department managers send the materials to the operations and HR managers, who in their turn figure out interesting options for the employees. "" Part of our job lies in opening newer and newer opportunities for our employees", says Peters. She joined GE 24 years ago and before her present position had worked in diverse departments of the corporation. Now she is convinced that managers should get assistance in going not only up the career ladder, but also should enhance their experience in diverse fields. Along similar lines the consultant Dory Hollander thinks that by 50 people disclose new qualities and abilities in themselves which they didn't think they had had and therefore did not use. "The mid age is the very time when the human personality reveals new pages in life", she says. The pedant may all of a sudden fell the need to do creative work, while the thrill-seekers may at times strive for stability.